“I don’t think they could ever have proved anything,” Ecclestone said, “but I
couldn’t afford to take the risk. Simple as that.” Asked about any specific
threats made by Gribkowsky, who is on trial for alleged corruption, tax
evasion and breach of trust towards his former employers, Ecclestone
conceded that no explicit threat had ever been made. But he said the implied
threat was very real.
“It was like in those gangster films where they say ‘I’ve seen your children
go to school. I’ve seen them leave every day at 9am’ and you know, unless
you’re really stupid, that they are serious. I thought maybe I could keep
him [Gribkowsky] quiet by paying; stop him doing silly things.”
Ecclestone admits paying $23 million (£14.4 million) to an Austrian account in
Gribkowsky’s name, with Bambino paying a further $21 million (£13.1
million), via mailbox companies in Mauritius and the British Virgin Islands,
but denies it was a bribe. He claimed that Bambino’s decision had been made
completely independently.
“They were probably even more afraid [of Gribkowsky] than I was,” said
Ecclestone, who claimed the money he received in return, $41.4 million
(£25.9 million), was a bona fide commission on the sale.
While Ecclestone’s testimony was of serious import, and could lead to any
number of further actions – with HMRC said to be weighing up whether to
re-open an investigation into Ecclestone’s financial affairs and CVC
skittish — it was impossible not to be caught up in yesterday’s proceedings.
The sight of Ecclestone, Formula One’s diminutive mop-topped supremo sitting
in court, flanked by his suave German lawyer Sven Thomas and a female
translator who kept up a constant patter in his ear, was pure theatre.
Ecclestone rose to the occasion. His initial appearance was delayed by a
complaint from the defence counsel that there were too many English
documents, and that the Bavarian state court could be biased in a case
dealing with the state-backed BayernLB. But after entering to a frenzy of
flashbulbs and being sworn in, Ecclestone relaxed into it. He raised a few
laughs over the pronunciation of his name, and again when asked if a
signature on a document was his. “Any signature you can’t read is mine,” he
quipped.
He even found time to have a go at his former club Queens Park Rangers, which
he sold to Malaysian businessman Tony Fernandes in the summer. Speaking
about his $23 million payment, Ecclestone said he had used Flavio Briatore.
“I was trying to do some business with Flavio to buy a football club at the
time,” Ecclestone recalled. “So I thought he could pay that because he owed
me. Then we bought another club. I was very lucky to get out of it.”
Whether Ecclestone is still laughing at the end of the trial is another
matter. Apart from the ever-present threat of HMRC — Ecclestone told The
Daily Telegraph on Tuesday there was “no way” it would investigate, having
given both him and Bambino clearance four years ago — there is a theory in
Germany that the state prosecutor is waiting to see how the corruption
charges against Gribkowksy stick.
If they find him guilty, it is thought possible the prosecutor may want to
investigate Ecclestone too. Ecclestone returns to give further testimony on
Thursday.